Super 8 - Movie Review

Director: J.J. Abrams
Producer: Steven Spielberg, J. J. Abrams, Bryan Burk
Screenplay: J.J. Abrams
Cinematography: Larry Fong
Editing: Maryann Brandon, Mary Jo Markey

This will be my first movie review and I hope to make this a regular thing for my blog. Also, be aware that I will not hesitate to spill spoilers. Well, I knew I had to watch Super 8 because Steven Spielberg is an executive producer. What can I say? The man is a genius in the filmmaking field. J.J. Abrams' hasn't really caught my eye since I watched Cloverfield. I haven't even watched Star Trek yet (it's on Netflix so I'll get to it soon enough). I heard great reviews about Super 8 from both sides (critics and moviegoers) so I had high expectations for it.

It did not fail. The story was told beautifully, visually and how it was organized to fall into place at the end. I'm also proud of the filmmakers choosing not to release the film in 3-D (I'm not a fan of 3-D, I'll write a blog about it sometime). I was also impressed by the cinematography. Whenever the locket was onscreen, the camera was set up to draw the audience's attention to it. It was a major part of the film since it was an emotional attachment for the main character. I wish I could get a screenshot of the ending when he is holding onto the locket so it doesn't get latched on the alien's ship. That was my favorite shot of the film. I have to watch the movie again to analyze the cinematography even more. Also... LENS FLARE, LENS FLARE, LENS FLARE. It's like J.J. Abrams signature move to put lens flares in his film. As I mentioned, I didn't see Star Trek but my professor Rich Underwood pointed out how often Abrams uses the common camera trick. I have nothing against it but it's just something I have to point out.

They also did an amazing job casting the right people. The kids were great. I absolutely loved them, especially the kid with the braces. "Can we get another order of fries? My friend here is fat." It's rare to have a great cast of kids that know how to act (comedic, horror) and interact so naturally together. Elle Fanning was a great choice for the female lead role. Great acting must run in the family.

The film had an E.T. vibe to it. Aliens, missing home, connection to humans, children, government interference, the list continues. But I can't deny that the film is almost a perfect mix of E.T. and Cloverfield. Although the story was on point, it was just all too familiar. And I wasn't too fond of the alien interaction scene. It wanted to make me roll my eyes... I mean, I understand that it's something that couldn't be avoided because of where the story was going so it doesn't necessarily ruin the movie for me.

Also, I should have stayed for the credits. Apparently, they showed the film they were working on at the end. Damn.

Score (out of 10): 9, the story felt all too familiar but that's typical for mainstream films
Recommend?: Yes

*I just saw on Wiki that J.J. Abrams is working on a Samurai Jack film based on the animated show. I loved that show. I'm quite excited for it.